The present invention relates to a hand unit and a timepiece.
The display units for timepieces and the like have traditionally been analog systems whereby a hand is attached to a hand shaft and the hand shaft is rotated in order to rotate the hand and perform various display functions such as time display.
The hand is generally rod-shaped or disk-shaped, and Patent Document 1, for example, discloses a timepiece having a rotary indication plate in which the respective rotational plates of the hour plate, minute plate, and second plate are attached to the corresponding hand shafts, instead of having individual hands for time display such as the hour hand, minute hand, and second hand.
These types of hands have an attachment member provided integrally therewith or separately on the side of the substrate edge where the hand is attached to the hand shaft, and this attachment member has a cylindrical part that supports the hand and is pressure-fitted thereto.
If a hand is provided with an attachment member in this manner, then when the hand is removed for repairs, maintenance, etc. of the timepiece, removal of the hand is performed by sliding a hand-removing tool below the hand and using the tool to catch the bottom of the attachment member and push it upwards.
If the hand extends approximately in parallel to the planar direction of the dial, such as with the disk hand described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. H11-258361, then the hand-removing tool can be easily slid under the hand and the bottom of the attachment member can be easily caught or pinched with the tool.
There is demand, however, for the shape of the hand to be a disk shape that is highest at the center and gradually decreases in height towards the tip of the hand in order to further enhance the design characteristics of the display unit, for example.
If the hand has such a shape, then when removing the hand, it is difficult to slide the hand-removing tool to a position contacting the bottom of the attachment member, and if force is used to attempt to contact the bottom of the attachment member with the tool, the hand or the hand shaft may be damaged.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a scheme that substantially obviates one or more of the above-discussed and other problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.